The "Low" Riders of Saudi..

by Lou (Saudi Arabia)

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Driving around the kingdom, in any city you choose, you’d have to come across a reckless driver or two, maybe another who forgot to use his signals.. Bad driving is becoming the attribute of most citizens of Saudi Arabia.. In some cities, you’d be numb to react to the many violations done in every flash light, per second.. I guess, it’s more of the Asphalt Jungle.. Survival of the “Fastest”.. Everybody’s driving like they’re on the run, ALL THE TIME.. As if they’re having imaginary babies..

I don’t know anymore.. I blamed the police force allot, but i guess it’s about time i gave the citizens a piece of my mind.. But first, a question..

If you’re Saudi, how did you acquire your license? And have you heard of anyone who acquired his without going through the trouble of the ACTUAL procedure?

It’s commonly known around our cities that many Saudis pass the test without even knowing any traffic signs or rules? Most of the driving signs seem like characters from a dead language to these guys.. It seriously seems as if we have an OCD for breaking the traffic rules..

In any street of the major cities in Saudi, you’d have to see at least one, if not all, of these types of drivers:

- Those who suddenly realized they want to turn right, while they’re at the further lane on the left.. Then react by driving in-front of everyone at the traffic light, while it’s RED, and gets near the u-turn..

- Those who slowly drag their wheels, waiting for the red light to turn green, until they step over the walking lane, and then practically drive through a red light slowly.. Just until they blocked half the lane of the intersecting street..

- The Speed runner.. Who doesn’t wait a second after the light turns green, and he’ll shower you down with beaming headlights, and/or blowing your ears out with his horn.. Always on a hurry, yet punctuality isn’t one of our traits.. Makes you wonder..

And i could go on and on, listing stereotypes of drivers that we got used to.. i had a conversation a while back with a friend of mine, he mentioned that even foreigners drive badly in the city too.. I don’t know about his “Cursed Peninsula” theory, but i think if foreign visitors of the kingdom who might be here for business or pleasure, they’d happen to see the citizens driving in a retarded way, it would grow on them.. Why should they be any better?

Come to think of it, what happened to “Be the Change you want to Be”? or what Jeddah’s municipality slogan; “We’re All Responsible”.. People should stop pointing fingers, and remember to flash the signal lights more often.. I swear, you never see it in the streets unless it’s an emergency.. Most of the them, to be truthful.. Why? Because there ARE good drivers out there, but even them have to suffer the idiotic driving of most Saudis..

However, things don’t stop at stupid driving.. Car Related accidents are one of the highest numbers in the kingdom’s surveys.. The first number mentioned gives the number of car related accidents in the year 2007.. reckless driving is becoming the number one source of deaths in Saudi, with the a terrifying rate of traffic accidents per day.. More people die on the streets, and the numbers seem to decrease very slowly..

Speculating on the issue, you’d see that it’s mostly blamed on the lack of knowledge of proper driving.. Citizens of Saudi, if i were you, i’d sue Dallah Driving School, or any equivalent, for ever issuing a Driver license without having the driver take an official test, and actually drive the damn teaching car.. Maybe you, reader, did go through one, but what about that other guy who used his “connections” to go straight to the officer and get it signed?

The second number mentioned gives the number of deaths because of car accidents..

An average of 18 deaths per day, 1 death per hour.. Mostly in young men between the ages of 18 and 29.. it’s more common to die because of an accident, than to be shot or stabbed..

How many died already as we speak?

Yours,

Lou..